Dave's Letter

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Spring 2005

Dear Truth Encounter Family:

“How Can We Actually Hear Jesus’ Voice in Our Bible Study”—this was my workshop topic at the Mid-Atlantic CBMC Men’s Conference in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina. It was 3:30 in the afternoon and the men had already been worshipping and listening to testimonies and Bible teaching since 8:00 that morning. I thought that many of the men would decide it was time for a break before dinner and the evening meeting, but instead the conference room at the Embassy Suites was packed. I was faced with the reality that there is a growing hunger to authentically connect with Jesus Christ through His Word in the lives of men.

I teach a class at Dallas Seminary on “The Primacy of the Pastor’s Spiritual Life,” yet in my own life the first spiritual discipline to slide is often my one on one time with Jesus. Sermon preparation, counseling, hospital visitation, funerals, pre-marital counseling and weddings—all the pressing responsibilities of a busy local church pastor make priority demands. Suddenly, I wake up and realize that I have become distant from my Savior.

He promised that He would never forsakes us, that He would abide with us forever, and that the life that we now live in this present world we live by faith in the Son of God who loves us and gave Himself for us (Gal. 2:20). He is always close, yet we can suddenly realize that hours have gone by and we have not touched base with Him.

Let me challenge you to re-establish and maintain this daily intimacy with Jesus. Don’t let a day go by without personally listening to Jesus’ voice talking to you in the Scripture. You have to do more than study the Bible to learn its content. You have to read it with your heart to fall in love with its author.

For example this morning my quiet time with the Lord took me to Matthew 19:13-15

Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.

How did the disciples feel about children? How does my Lord feel about children interrupting His schedule based upon this account in Matthew? Am I more like Jesus or like the disciples when children want me? On Sunday morning in between services when one of our little ones at church tugs on my pant leg and asks me a question, am I pre-occupied with my message for the next hour or do I allow Jesus’ eyes to cause me to see this child and His heart to cause me to love and give to this child? Jesus wants to talk to me about His priorities, about who He feels is important, and about how He responds when little ones want His attention.

Pray that as I grow older that I will grow more sensitive toward the different “little ones” that Jesus wants to touch and bless. One of my biggest fears is that I will become a self-important, egotistical pastor-teacher who is engrossed in his own important business yet fails to tend to Jesus’ business.

Many of the men at the CBMC conference in North Carolina were encouraged to personally connect with the Lord Jesus through the workshop that afternoon. My wife Mary has edited this talk and we believe it could help you be encouraged to spend quality daily time with Jesus. It will give you some insights into how to make this time reach more than your head. You can hear Jesus’ voice in your heart and then He can express Himself through your hands and your feet.

I will let Mary finish this letter and then explain how you can order a copy of this CD titled “Hearing Jesus’ Voice in Our Bible Study.”

We covet your continued prayers for our little grand daughter, Blythe, our Rett Angel. Joel and Courtney and her other grandparents work with her everyday doing therapy, monitoring her diet and trying to provide a “normal” life for her. She turns three this month and will be going to “school” for the first time.

We went and visited Blythe's new school yesterday and- well, it was so wonderful. I almost cried several times because of their kindness, to us and to her, their appreciation of her, their excitement about her joining their program, the flexibility with her schedule so that's SHE's comfortable. .... The sun was shining and we felt welcomed and treated so well - what an answer to prayer! –Courtney.

God, who is gracious and merciful, continues to keep His promises.

About four years ago we asked prayer for our dear friend, Sheri, who was diagnosed with brain cancer. The Lord miraculously has given her four more years inspite of the doctor’s prognosis of just three weeks. In January her MRI showed areas on the other side of her brain and she has begun an acute program of chemo again. So far the tumors do not seem to be responding. We, again, covet your prayers for her and her family.

  

Dave and Mary Wyrtzen

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